Eighteen By Three Cabins

The showers were nice, and the staff were kind and happy to answer questions. My room wasn't as clean as I'd expected. The location is great, very close to a nice food market, and you can also walk to the Marina area. I didn't really meet anyone else because people staying in the Cabins seemed to prefer keeping to themselves. Most didn't even say hi, which I couldn't understand.

For about $60, I thought this was good value in expensive Singapore, especially as a backpacker. Lau Pa Sat is only a four minute walk away and stays open 24 hours, and the property also gives a simple free breakfast with eggs, bread, and jam. The common areas are limited, though. I had a private single room with a shared bathroom. It was windowless and basically the upper half of a divided room, with the person next door in the other half. There was no space to lay out my luggage, even though I only had a laptop bag and cabin case, so I used the hallway. I was fine with the windowless room since all I wanted was sleep. The bathrooms were the main letdown. Soap dispensers were broken in every one I used, and the fans were broken too, so they got really humid. At least an amenities kit was provided. The aircon vent also blew a draft, which I dealt with by covering it with a towel. For the price and location, as a backpacker, I'd give it four stars, mostly held back by the bathrooms.

The room was cute, compact, and comfortable, with a locking door for privacy and extra security. It was very good value for a backpacker's hotel, even though the room was small. I really appreciated being moved to a premium single room because of my leg condition. I couldn't climb to an upper bunk, and the lower one was already occupied. The air con was extremely cold, but after sleeping on an office chair since March 2020 because I couldn't travel home to my house in Johor Bahru each day, having a bed felt like heaven. Thank you very much.

The central aircon can't be controlled, so sometimes the room got very cold, though at other times the temperature was just right. I stayed in a single room without a window, which can feel uncomfortable if you're claustrophobic, and climbing up and down to the bed gets troublesome. Still, it's a good budget option for solo travellers. The location is great, just a few minutes' walk from Telok Ayer MRT, and they provide a simple breakfast.